Therapeutic services

We offer counselling for individuals, couples and families using therapeutic techniques including:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people to change unhelpful or unhealthy thinking habits, feelings and behaviours. CBT may be used to treat problems including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, uncontrollable anger, substance abuse, eating disorders and other problems. SOURCE

The benefits of CBT

CBT has been extensively investigated in rigorous clinical trials and has empirical support.

CBT is structured, goal oriented, and focuses on immediate difficulties as well as long term strategies and requires active involvement by the client.

BT is flexible, individualised, and can be adapted to a wide range of individuals and a variety of settings.

Does CBT work?

CBT is one of the most established and researched psychological therapies for emotional, psychological and psychiatric dysfunction. For some problems, such as anxiety and depression, CBT is as effective as medication and can also enhance the effects of medication. The results of CBT are long-term, and you can keep using what you have learned in therapy to approach other problems in your life.

In particular, CBT has demonstrated effectiveness with individuals experiencing the following problems:

Generalised anxiety

Panic

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Phobias

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Depression

Eating disorders

Brain Injury

Somatic Disorders

Sexual Dysfunction

Couples/marital problems

Social Anxiety

Anger and Stress Management

Child Anxiety Disorders and Child Depression

Child behaviour problems

CBT is particularly useful in treating the problems listed above where you request a practical method of treatment for a specific problem rather than “wanting to understand yourself better”; are able to consider psychological causes of problems; and are able to be actively involved in the therapy process and will practice skills between sessions.

CBT has been extensively investigated in rigorous clinical trials and has empirical support. Broadly, CBT has evidenced the following outcomes:

CBT is compatible with a range other treatments that you might receive such as medication or supportive counselling.

Because the individual is actively involved in their treatment they are more likely to stick with it.

Because CBT is flexible and individualised, it can be adapted to a wide range of individuals and a variety of settings.

The client can keep using what they have learned in therapy to approach other problems in life.

Client Centered and Solution Oriented Therapy

“Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a type of talking therapy that focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy rather than on the problems that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the past, but instead, focuses on the present and future. The therapist uses respectful curiosity to invite the client to envision their preferred future and then therapist and client start attending to any moves towards it whether these are small increments or large changes. To support this, questions are asked about the client’s story, strengths and resources, and about exceptions to the problem.” SOURCE: Goodtherapy.org

Marital and Relationship Therapy

Simon and Michelle, do you want an explanatory blurb on this therapy here?

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a form of self-awareness training adapted from Buddhist mindfulness meditation.It has been adapted for use in the treatment of depression, especially for preventing relapse and for assisting with mood regulations. It has been described as being in a state of the present, accepting things for what they are, in a non-judgemental way. It was originially developed to assist with mood regulation and relapse prevention in depression and has been found to have considerable health benefits. SOURCE: BLACK DOG INSTITUTE

e.g Mindfulness is the practice of directing attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental manner. It aids observation of thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in the process of evaluation or criticism. Mindfulness is a skill that can, as part of a treatment program, reduce stress, anxiety and worry as well as enhancing mental health and well-being.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is an extremely effective method of helping people manage a range of problems. It is used to stop a wide range of habits, such as smoking, nail biting, hair pulling and alcohol abuse. It is also effective for relaxation and control of stress or pain, and in enhancing performance in pressured situations such as sports or public speaking.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback involves measuring signals from the body and training clients to control the behaviour of their bodies. Signals include heart rate (electrocardiography or EKG), muscle tension (Electromyography or EMG), sweating (Galvanic Skin Response or GSR), skin temperature, breathing rate, and brain activity (Electroencephalography or EEG).

Using feedback about the bodies functioning it is possible to alter muscle tension and train you to relax muscle groups, reduce heart rate, and lower a range of stress responses.

Biofeedback is used to treat:

Migraine headaches

Tension headaches

Other types of chronic pain

High blood pressure

Cardiac arrhythmias (abnormalities in the rhythm of the heartbeat)

ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)

and other conditions

Misophonia

This can be a hypersensitivity to selective soft sounds and other background noise or visual stimuli that are generally not noticed by other people. Symptoms and triggers are unique to an individual and when they are exposed to a sound in their trigger set, it results in an immediate negative emotional response.

This response can range from acute annoyance to moderate discomfort or go all the way up to full-fledged rage and panic. Fight or flight reactions are not uncommon. While experiencing a trigger event, a person may become agitated, defensive or offensive, may mimic the trigger, distance themselves from the trigger or possibly act out and express anger or rage at the source of the offending sound.